My husband and I are great fans of El Torito in La Mesa. We are early diners and very frequently have Angelica as our server. She is so warm and friendly and gives us wonderful service. Manager Bridget always makes it a point to stop by our table to say "Hi" and make sure everything is just right. The food is always hot when served (never lukewarm like many restaurants) and tasty. The portions generous. We dine there at least once a week. Myrna B. read more

Taco Tuesday is a must! Get there for happy hour too. $.99 Tacos, $3 Margaritas, $3 Well Drinks. Food was good. Our server was slow as shit though. I got 6 tacos, 2 margaritas, and all the chips I could eat for 13 bux. read more

Had a great lunch with the girls today for my birthday. As always, the food was great. It was made even better by Gilberto, who made the day one we will never forget. We look forward to our next trip... read more

el torito has a cool vibe, i love lanterns. and good (not great) mexi food. the chips and salsa are better than average. i really like them. my favorite thing about this place is the strawberry cilantro soda. most of the time i end up here because i'm craving that soda and/or i'm in the area. i always get good (not great) service here, sitting at the bar can get boring if you have to overhear two 29 year old ladies talk about their dating lives while you're trying to watch a game -__- (i'll get a booth with a view from now on) read more

We had dinner there on Monday and our experience was very good. Gilberto was very welcoming and so good to our kids. Totally recommend it as a family place. Gilberto is awesome. read more

The food was amazing and our server Gilberto was amazing and it is always an amazing time when we come here thank you for such an amazing dinner read more

The cold hard facts about this location are the food they offer will very in quality depending on the dished ordered, so when it comes to food overall not a bad experience. Unfortunately the overall service is slow and inconsistent. I have had servers very nice and caring all the way to servers with very little to know drive to do a good job , however in any case the service is slow. It seems due to lack of leadership , support or resources for the general staff. read more

My husband and I had both been working 12 hour days all week. Our children were away for the night so we had a long over due date night, something we hadn't had in months. We arrived at 7:10 pm and we're seated within 5 minutes. We ordered drinks (ice tea and coke) and waited several minutes before our waiter came back to take our order. He suggested the all you can eat fish and shrimp tacos, the special for Friday nights. We agreed and he walked away. We sat for at least 20 minutes with nothing to drink and still no dinner. Someone finally brought out our tacos but still no chip or drink refills. Finally we were able to call him over and before we could speak he said yes I know 2 ice teas. We again waited another 15 minutes without anything to drink. He finally showed bs l up and poured tea into both of our glasses and quickly walked away, I didn't even have the chance to tell him he was wrong, I had Diet Coke. At this point it's after 8:00 and we have had 1 refill (mine was wrong) and no more tacos, he repeatedly told us our tacos were on the way but we never received any. We had tickets for a 9:00 movie at Grossmont Center. He came back one last time and my husband and I had decided we were just going to ask for the check. We both only had the original serving of Mahi Mahi and hadn't even had an opportunity to try the shrimp. The waiter showed up again with a plate of 5 more tacos when we just wanted the check. He said sorry were just busy that's all just stay and eat the tacos. My husband told him that if you would have stayed around long enough you would have known that we wanted to try the shrimp tacos about 30 minutes ago. We waited another 30 minutes before we had the chance to pay!! He half apologized and said sorry you came on a busy night not a lot I can do. We paid and left at 8:45!! We missed our movie and just ended up going home. What a terrible date night that was so over due! I have been coming here since I was a kid, will not be returning! We should have been compensated for something!! read more

So I'm torn with this review. Let's start with the setup: I just flew into town, and wanted some good Mexican food and a beer. While there were plenty of Mexican cafes and stands near my hotel, this was the only one that served beer. Even though it felt wrong, somehow, to come to the San Diego area and get Mexican food from a chain restaurant, I did so anyway, because beer was calling my name after traveling all day. Now, to be fair, I did arrive around 5 pm, which I know is typically shift change time in food service. Unfortunately, that apparently meant that the greeting stand was empty, without anyone to be seen anywhere near the entrance. After a few moments, I spotted the bar and ponied up. There were two wait staff there, and I was immediately given a warm greeting by the woman there, but then she walked off. There was also a man, but he didn't greet me. At this point, I thought things were looking up. Until I just sat there. At the bar. With a bartender behind the bar (there were only 3 three other people there with me). After a few minutes, the woman returned with some chips and salsa and then took my drink order from the guest-side of the bar. The entire time she was gone, the man there never spoke to me, offered me a menu, took my order, or anything, and it wasn't like they were busy. My drinks came up, but nobody gave, or even asked if I wanted, a menu until I specifically asked for it. I later noticed that the man was clearing out the register, as it was apparently the end of his shift, so maybe that played into some of it, but it was just odd to have two bartenders there, neither of which seemed to be in any rush to take my order, or even see if I WANTED to order. Eventually, I got a menu, and the man happily gave me a few suggestions, which I took him up on, and then clocked out. That left me with just the woman. The restaurant was far from busy, and I only noted one or two tables with guests on our side. There could have been more on the other side of the place, but I couldn't see anything there. Anyway, the bartender was great...when she was around...which didn't seem to be very often. It seemed as though she was gone more than she was behind the bar. I wanted a glass of water for a long time, but didn't see anyone for a long time. When I finally asked her for it, though, it came out right away. So that was my service. The food, on the other hand, was quite good! I ordered a combo plate so as to try a little of everything, and everything was cooked well, with lots of flavor and fresh taste. Even the refried beans, which can be bland at some places, were really flavorful. The chips were freshly made when they came out, and the salsa, while spicy, was fantastic. The atmosphere was about what you'd expect from a chain Mexican restaurant, but was certainly not bland, or poorly done. The music was a little loud, but that's just a personal preference. The variety of music, though, was odd. We went from Feliz Navidad to modern pop in pretty short order. Not too impressive there. So really, I'm torn here. Friendly, but somewhat absent staff. Fantastic drinks that nobody seemed to be in a rush to provide. Really good food that nobody seemed to be in a rush to offer. How do I rate this place? In the end, I have settled on 3 stars. I have to save 5 stars for the truly outstanding dining experiences. Even if the service were far better than I experienced, the food wasn't quite 5-star, in my opinion, but that should not be taken as a slight, or insult. It was very good, and I would happily eat it again. In the end, though, the inconsistent service knocked my overall rating down another star, and that's unfortunate, because both bartenders were very friendly, when I was able to talk to them. I literally didn't see any other staff in the place besides a food runner, and someone rolling silverware at a vacant table as I left, so I can't base my rating on anything else. I'd like to think this was a fluke experience, and that it might be different on a busier night, or at a different time of night. I will be in town for a few more days, and would love to stop by for another drink, as there doesn't seem to be too many other options for that around here. If I return, and my experience is much different, I will edit this review. read more

Ask for Gilberto!!! He's absolutely the best. Excellent service. Food was great. Atmosphere perfect. Large family gathering. Everyone ad a great time. Don't forget to try the deep fried Ice cream! read more

We were pleasantly greeted and waited on by Gilberto Martinez. He obviously enjoys his work and strives to please the customer. He goes beyond the call of duty to see if you're pleased. I only want him to wait on me because he has spoiled me with his kindness! read more

this place is pretty good for three things: sunday brunch, happy hour and taco tuesday. we went to brunch this morning and had manny as a server and he's the best server i've had at this location. he kept our champagne glasses full and was good with clearing plates, bringing water and checking up on us. if you want to get your morning buzz on, try to sit in his section for brunch. they have neato things like an omelette station and a taco station with fresh tortillas. i would suggest not going for dinner unless it's taco tuesday. the service can be pretty slow even when they're not busy. taco tuesday offers chicken, beef or pork tacos for only a dollar. if you sit in the bar, you're more likely to have better service. go there...get your fiesta on. read more

Good food and large portions too. And I must say, we were served by the most cheerful and friendly waiter --EVER -- Gilberto. Thanks Gilberto, you made our visit a memorable one! read more

First time here since I moved to La Mesa. Taco Tuesday is a deal you can't pass up. Our bartender Missy was very friendly and on top of the drink orders. The only problem I have with this place is the lack of beer selection. Seriously, being a business in the beer Mecca of the world and not carrying a single craft beer is insane. As I plan on coming back here on Tuesdays please get some local beers. read more

Margaret, this review is for you! Your customer service is just great! Thank you for being so welcoming and sharing a good and positive conversation with us. read more

Service was awful. Actually never got to eat as we left. We came in for drinks and some food. Sat in the bar area thinking it would be quicker. Wrong. We got chips and salsa immediately. Then nothing. Read the full menu and drinks menu. Waiting for over 5 minutes. No server. Complained to the front desk. A server finally showed up. Did not apologize for our wait and then tried to tell us she had been busy paying a customers bill. Unfortunately, we had been hearing her voice talking in the background. We never saw her on the floor working and I was seated that I could view her entire station. Got up and left. Too bad, used to like El Torito and the units around us all closed. Very disappointing experience. read more

A great restaurant depends on a great reputation. Staff Pedro prepared the table side warm steak fajita salad presentation to perfection. He made our dining experience unforgettable and enjoyable. My brother visiting from Las Vegas committed on how he was impressed with Pedro's service and told Pedro that was the best salad in his entire life. From now on when my brother comes to visit we know where to go for dinner. Meanwhile, my best friend and I will continue to make EL TORITO'S a habit! read more

apparently, this is the only place my company ever wants to have a holiday party. i've been working for my employer for 5 years and sure enough, every year the holiday event is held at el torito's in la mesa. here are the pluses: 1. it's close to my office. 2. seating is accommodating for large parties. 3. great lunch buffet. so, it's the perfect place to have a company party. on a personal level, i like this restaurant. it's never too busy and i really, really do love their lunch buffet special. under $10 for unlimited steak and chicken fajitas is a great deal. also includes trays of beans, rice, enchiladas, cornbread - the typical fixings. you can't beat this. now, don't get me wrong.. i'm not judging authenticity here. i'm just saying it's pretty well priced for a sit-down restaurant especially if you're like me and have a half-hour lunch. it's enough time for me to put away several plates at a very good lunch price. also, it has to be said that the servers/waitresses are very kind. a little slow at staying attentive, but kind nonetheless. read more

Gilberto and Carlos went above and beyond to meet our expectations. Me and my family were very happy with there service.

This place was bad. First of all it is freezing cold I side. Second they said they would do separate checks for our party and hen didnt. The food is awful which seals the deal for me. Stick to nachos or something really easy that they can't mess up. Service is slow!! I would go for drinks and chips and salsa maybe but not for dinner ever again! read more

I've had mixed thoughts on this place until this current one to lead me to not want to come back. Reasons being is the lack of good service

I love El Torito!! It's the last one in San Diego and I pray it stays forever.. Gilberto was amazing and delivered excellent service.. Food and service are on point! read more

I think it's time a I left a comment. I have been going to El Toritos La Mesa off and on since the 90's. I loved it. Something has happened to the quality of the Sunday brunch food it's not too good. I have to agree with Emily D. Above the taco lady who make the to order soft tacos is VERY RUDE. She is lucky to have a job. She ignores and has a nasty attitude. I am surprised that she still has a job here. You need to step up the staff members and food quality in the brunch buffet. The word is out. read more

The reason this doesn't get one star is the look of the restaurant. It was so crowded and this is a little town La Mesa. Service was awful and the food made both my wife and I sick. I didn't even go to work the next day. Hispanic food doesn't normally do this to me either. I wouldn't recommend this to anyone except for a starving man with a giftcard to this place. read more

Loved the buffet and the service....the fifth star was taken away because the shrimp are not clean...the still have the poop strip so gross and nasty El Toritos. read more

Love their Sunday Brunch Buffet. Bottomless mimosas and a great selection of food and dessert. If you do go get a table with Gilberto he has a great personality and is very attentive my family has had him as a waiter in many occasions and it has always been a great time. Really great service from the staff all around but definitely love sitting in Gilberto section and Torres (might be a nickname) is great also very friendly read more

I was pleasantly surprised by my recent lunch experience at this El Torito. For many years I have avoided Mexican restaurants of this type (El Torito, Acapulco, etc) because I no longer want to look at menus dominated by overpriced "gringo-style" combination plates. I chose this El Torito, however, for an early weekday lunch with two friends who are more comfortable with this type of Mexican food than with the Mexican "street food" (suadero, al pastor, huaraches, etc) that I seek out and focus on these days. We arrived around 11:30 am and there were only three other tables occupied with diners. This gave our server, Miguel, plenty of time to devote to our table. It was Tuesday, so I ordered the Taco Tuesday special ($9.99 for all the tacos you can eat - a fantastic value) which allowed you to mix and match from three kinds of tacos: carne asada, pollo asada, and carnitas, along with rice and beans The carne asada was excellent, well-marinaded with a really nice flavor, and the pollo and carnitas were similarly very nicely prepared and flavorful. All tacos were served with small format tortillas (street taco style, which I prefer) and shredded cabbage. The latter was almost off-putting, not really meshing well with the meat in the tacos in my view, but it was certainly better than shredded lettuce would have been. The rice and beans had good flavor as well, and were worth finishing for once. Even though the Taco Tuesday special was all you can eat, after having one each of all three tacos I had no room to order more. Pacifico beer on tap is always a winner, and I was pleasantly surprised to find this available, ice cold, at this El Torito as well. Although I won't be a regular at El Torito or any other Mexican restaurant of similar ilk in the future, I was impressed with the flavors I experienced there and I would be willing to return to try some other dishes on their revamped menu. read more

This was the best El Torito I have ever visited. From the start Christian, our server, was very nice and kept our bottomless mimosas over flowing (-; we were also helped by other servers too which was cool. We were the only table on the patio but they still gave excellent service!! read more

My first visit to the restaurant today and I was impressed by the interior decor. It was very much like what I'd expect a good Mexican restaurant to be. My waiter took my order after bringing me chips and salsa. The salsa was too spicy and burned my mouth, but I wasn't surprised. But when my order, Chili Relleno, was also very spicy, I really suffered. The waiter asked me how was the food and I told him too spicy for me. He apologized and moved on, and I continued trying to eat my food. Then a woman came along and asked me how my meal was. I think maybe she was a manager. I told her it was so spicy I couldn't eat it. She said she thought she knew what would work, and she had the waiter put in a new order for me. It was cheese enchiladas with spinach. The food was very good and not too spicy, though by this time I'd done temporary damage to my tongue and couldn't enjoy it properly. Nonetheless, I was very grateful that my concerns were noted and that I was given a meal my tender palate could eat. The restaurant deserves five stars for that excellent service! The reason I lowered my rating was because of a surcharge of $.59 that was added to my bill. Now I am grateful that I effectively received two meals for the price of one (even though I could barely eat one of them). But I don't appreciate a surcharge "added to the bill to help offset labor ordinances." This restaurant adds an extra charge to the bill and then tells me they don't like having to pay their workers a living wage, so I have to help. I thought that's what tips did. And I should add, this isn't a cheap Mexican restaurant. They also kindly suggested how much I should tip, and when I chose 20 percent, the credit card machine charged $.12 more than my receipt had suggested was 20 percent. They probably added the tax and/or surcharge into the tip basis. As I said, I appreciate the great service, but the charging policy leaves something to be desired. read more

My family and I love this location every time we come in we are always greeted with smiling faces and the employees are always very nice, and our server Gilberto is always amazing and has the best customer service. read more

I have been going to this restaurant for years but I must say that before the fire this place was awsome now it just sucks! The service is the worst!!! It seems everytime we eat there something always goes wrong! My fiance and I just went there about a week and half ago and that is our very last time were ever going to go there!! They have offically lost our business. It seems everytime we go there is always a wait when it is clearly not busy because there are tables open for seating all over the place. So after you wait about 10-15 minutes the hostess sat us and then we sat there for maybe 10-20 minutes and NO one came to our table to give us chips or salsa, no waters, no waiter even came over to our table. There were constant waiters and waitresses walking by and the manager walked by several times and still didn't come over. So we walked out as were walking out the same hostess that sat us not even 20 minutes earlier says "have a good night, thanks for coming", so f**king stupid! We are offically done going there. It sucks thought because I like their food, guess we will just have to drive a little further for them! read more

I took my girlfriend here saturday night before we went to the movies and what a huge mistake!! I used to love El Torito but the Grossmont location is just that.....GROSS!! The food was the worst mexican food I have EVER tasted anywhere!! The waiter George was very unattentive, brought me the wrong drink and never returned until we were almost ready to leave!! Last time I will go to El Torito, there are many more mexican restaurants in San Diego that deserve my money!! read more

You can't get good Mexican in Seattle, so I may be biased but brunch was great. Wasn't stuffy, wasn't tacky. Will keep in our repertoire of places for gatherings of family and friends. Update: just learned its a chain. Sad face. We do like to prefer local businesses. read more

El Torito was amazing. Our waiter was Gilberto , who was the best waiter I have ever had. He entertained a group of 30 people for an hour. I have never had as much fun or laughed so much at a restaurant . read more

This was ok, service was acceptable, I was there during the champagne breakfast on Sunday...figured it would be pretty decent. The carnitas were amazing!! Absolutely enjoyable as was the flan. Everything else was pretty passable. I didn't mind eating there so much, and got a few glasses of Champagne, which they did not seem imperative to refill for me. Was a bit expensive for what I got, but..hey we only live once. And I wouldn't go if there were two in the party. 32.00 for breakfast is wayyyy over what we should have to pay..but just one, 15.99 is decent. read more

We had lunch and our server Kevin Espley provided excellent service. He was so friendly & attentive he made the difference in our visit. When come to this restaurant make sure to sit in his section. All the other El Toritos should model their training after him. read more

This place is great !!! GILBERTO is a great sever and host. Will continue to come back ....

We just ate here tonight with the family. The food was great and the establishment was awesome!!! The staff are very friendly. The waiter we had was the best ever. He was super friendly and helpful. He made the whole experience wonderful!!! The waiters name is Gilberto- Hes the best waiter ever!! read more

El Torito has my favorite taco Tuesday! It's super cheap, great atmosphere, and the people are really nice. I highly recommend it.

I had a craving for tacos so I came here for the first time with my boyfriend. The food was amazing and the customer service was even better. Gilberto was my amazing host and he was such an amazing person. He took great care of us and checked on us often to make sure we were OK. If you ever go here ask for Gilberto. Amazing customer service along with awesome ppl skills! You'll love him!! read more